Altruistic Tenacity
by YumeMori
Summary: A miko who should not have existed in their world. A missing ninja who should have died to pay for his sins. Coincidence crossed their paths, but altruism was to blame for all that proceeded and followed.
1. What the Cat Found

**Disclaimer:** I claim no ownership of _Naruto_ or _Sengoku Otogizoushi - InuYasha. InuYasha_ belongs to Takahashi Rumiko, Shogakukan, Viz Media, ShoPro Entertainment, and Shounen; while _Naruto_ belongs to Kishimoto Masashi, Shueisha, Viz Media, and Madman Entertainment. No copyright infringement is intended with this purely fan-made crossover, especially since no money is being made from this.

* * *

_Altruistic Tenacity  
_**What the Cat Found**_**  
**_

* * *

It had been two years since Kagome had last seen the feudal era or her own time. And now, she had no clue as to what time, or even what world, she was in these days. The best conclusion she came up with in her time spent in the strange world of ninja was that she had been thrust forward a few hundred years or so. She could see small remnants of the world she once knew in ruined cities that most stayed away from except to use as storage areas. There was one place in Fire Country that she had come across that resembled Tokyo, in her homesick opinion. Even demons had survived to whenever or wherever this place was. Only now most were used as summons and called nin.

The other, more terrifying and far more powerful demons had become known as tailed beasts and nearly all of them had been sealed away in hosts. It broke her heart to see both demons and humans put into the pain of a relationship and bond they called 'Jinchuuriki.' Yet, far worse atrocities had been committed in the name of power. Kagome had been an eyewitness to some of those things in her young life.

The foreboding storm clouds that covered the sky and hid the setting sun did not set well with her as she traveled close to the border of Fire Country. The day, though rainy, had given off no sign of a storm, and if there was one lesson she had learned over the past two years, it was that great shinobi fights and wars could disrupt even the air currents with their strange 'jutsu.' This seemed to be one of those times.

While she could control and kill demons, she was useless against other humans, especially ninja. If there had been a battle, she knew well enough to keep away from it. The victor was not someone she wanted to come across, and the Raikage was sure to scold her if he knew she had knowingly walked up to an unknown ninja or, deities forbid, such a battle.

And the Raikage was not someone she wanted on her bad side for a single moment.

Kagome owed the Raikage far too much; he had taken her in when she had stumbled across his hidden village only days after finding herself lost and stuck in this place. He gave her a place to stay, food to eat, and allowed her to have a nice long bath all in exchange for her story. After it all had been explained, he offered her a permanent place in the village hidden in the clouds. She should have realized that everything came with a price far greater than words and stories in this world. Every day she kicked herself for being that naive, really she knew she should have known better.

It was with those thoughts that she shifted her intended course slightly, in the hopes of bypassing what had taken place. Luck and fate were not on her side, as usual, as the scent of burning wood and blood filled the air. For a moment, she considered turning around and finding another way to get back to Lightning Country from Fire Country, but her feet had other plans. Plans that led her straight into the middle of what was once a battlefield that left only the defeated behind.

He looked so innocent laying there: his pale skin a stark contrast to the deep crimson staining the earth beneath him. His hair was as dark as the storm clouds that hid the stars and moon from her view, and she found herself wondering if his eyes matched his hair or contrasted it. Smiling softly as she pushed some of his hair out of his face, she decided that his eyes had to match his hair. He seemed like someone who would blend in as best he could instead of standing out. The kind of person who would let others believe what they would instead of trying to show them the other true side.

Her fingers slid down to his neck, pressing against his pulse point. For all intents and purposes he _did_ appear to be dead, but he looked far too beautiful to be gracing death's clutches so early in life. And there, faint against her fingertips, his pulse beat softly, erratically. Even after the wounds and strain she could see his body had suffered, he still tried to cling to life. It was just like a shinobi to try and overcome even death.

She kneeled down and moved him into a sitting position before moving one of his arms over her neck. It would make it easier to get him back to her home where she could treat him. Most could not claim they beat death, but this was one person she was going to help try to win as much as she could. While she did not possess the super-human strength of a shinobi or a demon, she was not entirely weak either. She was simply Kagome. And she was not the type of person to leave another in pain or so close to death.

With her newly-found burden secured against her side, she took a look around to see if anything had been left behind. Yet there was nothing from what she could tell: no weapons, no possessions, no nothing. There was not even anyone around who could tell her what had happened aside from the dying man she was supporting.

She heaved a great sigh before continuing on her way. "Will you hang on long enough for me to get us where I can treat you?"

The beautiful young man said nothing, though she could feel his soft and shallow breaths against her neck. That was all she needed to feel, and it would alert her the minute his condition changed. "Good, just give me a few more hours and I'll get you cleaned up."

As she walked away into the shadows and ashes of the forest, she never noticed the figure that appeared looking for the young man she had just dragged away. The dead trees and scenery did nothing to hide his plant-like features, and his half black-half white body inside the fly trap was seen easily. He had left for only a handful of minutes to help Madara transport Sasuke back to their base.

"Hmm... It appears our dead Uchiha has disappeared," the white side of Zetsu said.

Black Zetsu chuckled. "Looks like he wasn't as dead as you and Madara thought!"

"Shut up. He was definitely dead. Leader will have to be informed of this immediately." He had arrived only seconds too late to see Kagome carry Itachi away, and now the Akatsuki would, most likely, have to hunt down a dead man. In Lightning Country, too, a place where tracking was almost impossible.

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_This will read similar to the original version of this story for the first couple of chapters before it takes a completely different turn. This version will not be as short as the original and will have more spatterings of romance to keep you all sated. So I hope you enjoy!_


	2. And Dragged Back Home

**Disclaimer:** I claim no ownership of _Naruto_ or _Sengoku Otogizoushi - InuYasha. InuYasha_ belongs to Takahashi Rumiko, Shogakukan, Viz Media, ShoPro Entertainment, and Shounen; while _Naruto_ belongs to Kishimoto Masashi, Shueisha, Viz Media, and Madman Entertainment. No copyright infringement is intended with this purely fan-made crossover, especially since no money is being made from this.

* * *

_Altruistic Tenacity  
_**And Dragged Back Home**_**  
**_

* * *

By the time Kagome reached Kumogakure late the next night, Kagome was covered in sweat and panting. She dared not take a break, though when she did it was to use her hama no reiryoku to hide their trail (as she always did whenever she was traveling) and to heal him bit by bit. If she had not done that, she was certain he may have died on the way because he was in truly bad shape. How bad she did not know yet, and would not know until she reached her home. Her legs and arms were ready to give up on her as she lived an easy life in the hidden village. Or rather a much easier life than the one she had left behind in the feudal era. She did not usually walk all across the world of shinobi nor did she find herself constantly in battles to the death for the fate of said world nor had she practiced her archery since her arrival. Instead she helped out shinobi skilled in the healing arts called "medic-nin" and kept an eye on the Raikage's little brother who housed the youkai known as Hachibi.

Her uses had become rather decorative, yet there was nothing she could do to change it. The Raikage was not someone she could go up again -- he was not someone ninety-nine percent of the world's population could go up against either -- so she tried to make the most out of her new life as it was all she could do. And perhaps that had something to do with her dragging a nearly-dead shinobi back to the Land of Lightning. She wanted to feel the joy of being useful to someone in such a way again, but, most of all, she wanted something new and exciting in her life. She knew it was likely to backfire on her, especially if the Raikage ever found out about the stray she was bringing back home.

Because of her ornamental lifestyle, carrying the shinobi for as many kilometers as she had was taxing on what little strength she had. He was heavier than he looked, and his unconscious state made it that much harder for her. His feet and legs were the most uncooperative parts of his body as she discovered more than a few times. The hard-packed ground that made up the winding streets of Kumogakure made it easier on her as it allowed for his feet to drag across the ground without snagging. That made it easier for her to take the back-streets and alleys to avoid running across anyone who would alert the Raikage to her arrival and the person she had brought back.

As her modest house came into view, Kagome wanted to cry. She did not know how much longer she could have lasted before she collapsed under his weight. Yet even as she managed to open her door and stumble inside, she pushed aside the desire to collapse and relax. He had managed to hang on for quite a while, but she had no clue as to how much longer he had left. Every second from thenceforth was a moment she could not afford to take a break. His life was officially in her hands now.

Without a second thought as to what was on top of her low-table in her sitting room, she swept it all off and lay him down on top. Books and scrolls fell to the floor, a paperweight shattered, and the table creaked dangerously. Kagome swayed on her feet as her body tried to adjust to the loss of avoirdupois and right her balance. Barely a second had passed before she could feel her limbs begin to shake from over-exertion. She knew she had pushed herself far too much, but she could not have afforded to take a break. Especially not when a life hung in the balance.

Though she did allow herself to sit down on the floor next to the table and catch her breath for only a moment. She needed to in order to concentrate enough to bring forth her hama no reiryoku for what she was going to do. If there was one thing she had managed to learn from all the time she spent around medic-nin, it was to always check out the patient's condition thoroughly before beginning the healing process. She had half-skipped this process all ready in her desperation to keep him alive, but now she could afford to take the time.

What surprised her when she began her examination of him was that he was fine externally. He had no broken bones, had no bruises or lacerations, though she was sure she could pass that off as having been healed on the way. All he really seemed to suffer from, on the surface, was premature blindness. It was something she had never come across before in civilians or shinobi, though she had heard of it happening when she lived in Tokyo. If he lived, and she hoped he did, she would be sure to ask him about it and see if there was a way for her to help fix it.

She brushed back the dark strands of hair from his forehead with gentle fingers. "Just what happened to you, shinobi-san?"

Though she knew he would not answer given his condition, she still asked to fill up the silence surrounding her home. If he lived, his body would take a while to recover and repair the damage caused by chakra depletion and near-death. However she still had no clue as to why he was so close to death. Until she looked further into his body using her powers. She almost wanted to chuckle at the irony when she discovered it. Most shinobi worried about dying on missions or in wars, yet he was dying of a disease. In fact, contrary to popular belief, the disease he had was what killed off most prodigies as she had discovered in her studying.

It all had to do with how far they could push their bodies. Naturally, prodigies were better than regular shinobi in certain areas. That led to their clans and families and villages pushing them harder than anyone else. Too much pushing and too brutal of training led to weakened immune systems, and coupled with the blood that was almost always shed during battles... It all led to disease. Yet the ways of shinobi and villages were not about to change anytime soon despite that consequence.

Normally shinobi who came down with such a disease could only be treated. Medic-nin could not cure it, only prescribe medicine to help prolong their life and treat the symptoms. Yet Kagome was not a medic-nin. She was miko. Being one came with the ability to purify toxins be they youki or diseases. He was very lucky that she had stumbled across him or else he would have died anyway.

She smiled down at him as she removed her hand from his chest. "Yes, you are very lucky. But a good shinobi does always have a lot of luck on his side... But now the hard part..."

Kagome grunted as she lifted herself off the floor and onto the table, pushing his hips to the side a little more. The popping of a few of her joints had her grimacing over the state she was going to be in tomorrow. She would worry about that tomorrow, though. Right now, she had a disease to purify from a shinobi. She would keep her promise to herself and help him beat death as much as she could.

She looked over his body closely and felt around in his clothes, trying her hardest not to blush. She found what she was looking for though: one kunai. "Forgive me," she said with a grimace before plunging it into his chest. She hated doing so, but it was the only way she could heal. She needed an object to focus her hama no reiryoku into in order for it to heal internally, and in this case she _did_ need for it to be in his body. The disease he had was in his blood and his lungs, so it would have done no good for her to push her power into him any other way. Or so it was what she told herself over and over again as she poured her power into him for what could have been hours.

Only when she could no longer feel the taint in his body did she pull her hama no reiryoku back into her body, and the kunai out of his chest. When the tip escaped, one last drop of her hama no reiryoku healed the wound she had caused him. She had removed all traces of his disease, now it was up to him as to whether he would live or not. If he wanted to live, then he would wake up and allow his body to gather the necessary chakra to replace his depleted store.

Whoever he had been fighting, he had truly gone all-out against them. She was almost sad to have stumbled across the result of it; that battle would have been epic to watch. And it made her terrified of the victor for they had to be just that much more powerful to be able to walk away.

She brushed her hand across his face, feeling the slightest trace of heat coming off it before she stood up. "I really do hope you'll choose to live... So please, don't give up just yet."

Maybe he would hear her words and decide to fight for his life. It would be too sad if he died after having held on for so long. Yet at the moment, she had a bath she needed to take before heading to talk to the Raikage.

* * *

Kagome took a deep, steadying breath as she pushed open the doors to the Raikage's office. Every time she took a trip outside of Kumogakure, she was required to report back to him when she returned. She dreaded it every time which was why she rarely left. Not because she had anything to hide, but because she was terrified of him and the look in his eyes every time he looked at her. It always felt as if he was assessing every word that fell from her lips and undressing her at the same time.

She blamed the way shinobi dressed for the latter. Though it was not as revealing as her school uniform had been, the fishnet she wore underneath her clothes was uncomfortable and made her actual clothes cling to her. She still wore a skirt, though it was a deep red, and it was a good bit longer than her old green one had been. The top was what she had an issue with: it was a white V-neck tank. A, the Raikage, had chosen the colors for her after he had learned of the traditional colors and clothes miko wore. She wished she had never told him.

Though she was not as stupid or naïve as she had been years ago when she was fifteen, she was still modest. Life in a shinobi village had changed it to a degree as they were very open and blunt people when they wanted to be, but she still retained a bit of the modesty she had grown up with. Even with that, when men twice her size and who could easily overpower her looked at her in such a way, she started to look for the nearest hole to crawl into. The only thing that kept their hands off her was her little lie that if she was no longer a virgin then they would no longer have their miko. The purity a miko needed and that the Shinto religion taught was a deeper one than that, but they did not need to know that. And they did not want to run the risk that it could be true.

While she had gotten away with lying before, they had all been petty and meaningless ones. Her lies had never been as huge or life-threatening as the one that was unconscious on her table in her house. She did not even want to think about the consequences if they found out about him.

"You're late." As soon as he spoke, Kagome bowed deeply to him. While her form of bowing was something he and his advisers had grown used to and accepted because she was not a shinobi, she had ulterior motives this time. She did not want them to see her face. The eyes were truly the window to the soul and mind, and the Raikage was too astute a shinobi for her likes. And she had always been an easy read.

"I'm sorry, A-dono. A battle had taken place near the border that I had to find a way around."

In her time spent mingling with people in Kumogakure, she had picked up a few things. One was the best way to tell a lie: to tell the truth as much as possible. By weaving in certain, small lies and half-truths into the actual truth, it became near impossible for anyone to tell which parts were false. She could all ready feel his eyes on her body, sizing her up and trying to figure out if she told the truth or not. While he may be known for his quick temper and emotional rampages, he was also very shrewd. One could not become a kage if they were not.

She heard his get up from behind his desk, the squeaking of his chair in the too silent room revealing that fact. Kagome held her breath as his feet came into her view, stopped in front of her.

"Oh yeah? What kind of battle was it?"

"A shinobi battle," she answered without daring to look up. "Or so it seemed. Given how the forest and sky looked in that area, it could have only been caused by shinobi fighting to the death. I took a detour that took a few hours out of my return to make sure I had completely bypassed whatever had taken place." Kagome resisted the urge to wince when she finished talking. She had rambled too much which made it seem even more suspicious. Honestly, she had done this enough times to know how to lie.

He grabbed a curling lock of her dark hair and rubbed it in-between his fingers, feeling the still-wet silkiness of it. She resisted an even larger urge to flinch away knowing she should have dried her hair more thoroughly before coming to visit. "And yet, you still had the time to take a bath. Not to mention you're clearly exhausted."

Kagome steeled herself internally toward what she was about to do. It went against everything that she was and believed in, but it needed to be done. She lifted her head before straightening and giving him her most innocent smile. "I'm sorry, A-dono. I pushed myself harder than I should have to make good time back here. I didn't want to be away longer than necessary and make you worry! Then I was so sweaty and filthy that I couldn't bear to bring myself here in such a condition."

He looked at her with an expression that held impassivity and scrutiny. So she added more to her act as she knew his one weakness. The tears she forced to well up in her eyes came easier than she had thought, but she blamed it on her exhaustion and how uncomfortable she felt in his presence instead on how well she was fitting into the shinobi world of deception. "I'm so sorry, A-dono! Next time I'll come here to see you the second I get back from another trip!" She bowed deeply again once she saw her act caused the desired reaction, even though she hated coming off as such a woman.

She knew it was wrong of her to lead A on as she was, and did, but it kept him out of her hair for a while. Like most of her plans, if not all of them, she knew it would backfire on her in some way. And she was playing with fire. But for the moment, it kept her out of trouble and her charge safe.

His hands were so much larger than she was and dwarfed her arms as he gripped them. She lifted her head and into his sincere-seeming face and almost felt horrible for deceiving him. His eyes, though, gave away his true thoughts about her and her little act, and kept those feelings of guilt from growing. It was not her fault he wanted her. "Kagome, you don't have to come see me the minute you get back. But when you arrive hours later than normal, I'm going to ask questions. You're too valuable to this village to disappear."

She bowed her head forward, not wanting to look into his face anymore and see the emotions he kept inside to appear normal to her. He was a very emotional, raucous man, and he never showed it to her. He probably thought it would endear him to her more, but it drove her away instead. She did not want someone who pretended to be someone else.

"I understand. I'll try not to do it again."

A nodded. "Good. Get some rest, you still have to look over Kirabi's training tomorrow morning."

She nodded before leaving as quickly as she could without seeming suspicious. She wanted to be far away from his hands and him as soon as possible, he was far too familiar with her for her tastes. She entertained the thought of taking another bath.

As soon as the door closed behind her, A turned to his two advisers and said, "Get Team Samui to keep an eye on her. She's lying about something, and I want to know what."

* * *

_Yes, the Raikage's name is actually A. That's what it comes to in its romaji form, and I think it would look weird if I just used the characters for his name in the middle of an English fic. So it stays as A. And also, Kirabi is the correct name of Killer Bee._


	3. The Pain of Living

**Disclaimer:** I claim no ownership of _Naruto_ or _Sengoku Otogizoushi - InuYasha. InuYasha_ belongs to Takahashi Rumiko, Shogakukan, Viz Media, ShoPro Entertainment, and Shounen; while _Naruto_ belongs to Kishimoto Masashi, Shueisha, Viz Media, and Madman Entertainment. No copyright infringement is intended with this purely fan-made crossover, especially since no money is being made from this.

* * *

_Altruistic Tenacity  
_**The Pain of Living...**_**  
**_

* * *

Dawn came far too early for Kagome's tastes as all she wanted to do was burrow deeper under her covers and rest her weary body. As much as she hated to admit it, she was out of shape. The years she spent traveling across Feudal Japan seemed like a far-away dream in both her mind and body. The stamina she had once had had dwindled down to nothing. If carrying a near-dead man from the edge of Fire Country to Kumogakure caused her that much fatigue and soreness, she was terrified to think of what had happened to her archery skills.

It seemed the only parts of her that were still constantly in use were her mind and her hama no reiryoku. In most of her spare time she had read up on all the history of this world that she could get her hands on. That was about the only thing she agreed on with A -- if she was now stuck in this world, then she needed to know everything she could about it. If she did not know certain facts about history and people and events, then it made her incredibly suspicious to anyone with a brain. Even civilian children knew the basics of ninja history. She had resigned herself to living in this world for the rest of her life and so, she decided she might as well know all she could about it.

There was another reason, too. Perhaps, she had thought, somewhere buried within a scroll or on a scrapped piece of parchment, there would be something that could allow her to go back home. She was homesick, plain and simple. And who in her position would not be? She had spent nearly a year traveling across Feudal Japan putting together a jewel she broke, then three years in her true era to get a degree she would never use and wanting to head back to where her heart lay, only to be taken to this world or time instead. (She still had no clear idea as to whether or not she was in a new world or a time in the future yet. Though, everything did point to her being in the future. She could not get over the habit of calling it a "world" though as it was different from her own.)

As those feelings of homesickness once again welled in her, she rolled over onto her stomach. She wanted nothing more than to stay in bed with her memories. Yet she knew she could not do that. If she did not wake and head off to watch over Kirabi's training, she would be receiving visitors of the elite ninja kind. While she did not mind them, she knew it would not be the best thing for them to see her new charge.

Kagome rolled out of bed at that thought. All her hard work would go to waste if her patient was discovered. There was just something about him that she knew would not go over well with A or his council, and it was not the young man's beauty or age. Though she was sure that would be part of it. But no, there was something else about him that was nagging at her. She just could not put her finger on what.

The motions of dressing were done automaton. Her wardrobe hardly changed each day as she was used to wearing one outfit almost every day from school. It was one routine she had done countless times before to give too much thought to, but now she also wanted to check up on her patient. While his condition had been still stable when she returned from her meeting with the Raikage, she did not know how he had fared through the night.

And just as she had left him last night, he was still the same. He had not moved an inch, and from what she could tell, he was still stable and getting better. She smiled brightly as she left a plate of fruit next to him, in case he woke while she was gone. Kagome leaned in closer, taking in his returning color and brushing her hands through his hair.

"Good morning, shinobi," she said. She hoped he could hear her and know that there was someone watching over him. "I have to leave now, but I'll be back soon. If you wake up, there's some fresh fruit for you to eat."

There was no reply, but she was not expecting one. With one last concerned look at his body, she left and headed to the training grounds.

* * *

"Late again! Why don't you show up when you say so we can begin?" Kirabi's snide comment was the first thing to greet her as she arrived. It was fast becoming routine between them as he did not like her and, by extension, she did not care for him either.

Kagome looked at the shadow cast by the entrance post and sighed. She was five minutes late, so sue her! Of course, not _literally_.

"Well, _excuse_ me for being a normal person and liking to sleep!" She crossed her arms. "It's only five minutes, not five hours."

Normally, Kagome could get along with anyone. She had a natural charm and cheery disposition that drew people in and made it nearly impossible for people to hate her. However, she could not get along with Kirabi. Ever since they had met, their relationship was strained at best. She attributed their dislike of each other to the demon called 'Hachibi', his older brother's obvious interest in her, and her lack of strength and ninja skills.

Like most other ninja, Kirabi looked for strength. Most notably, strength in taijutsu and ninjutsu. She was more than lacking in taijutsu and had no ability in ninjutsu. She knew because she had tried her hand at both. No teacher had had the patience to sit through and teach her moves and techniques that children half her age had mastered. Then there was the problem with chakra: apparently, she had none. Unfortunately, most ninja gave respect to those who were strong in those aspects because they kept one alive. And respect translated into something bordering camaraderie.

The next mark against her was not entirely her fault. It was just her bad luck that his older brother was the Raikage and had a major crush on her. No matter what she said in her defense to Kirabi made him like her anymore. Not only did he not like the fact that his older brother liked someone as weak as she, he did not like the fact that she did not return the affections.

The third and final mark against her was something she could not blame him for feeling. Miko and demons did not mix well nor did they normally get along. The Hachibi no doubt knew exactly what she was and what she could do to him. While strength was valued, her strong hama no reiryoku was not. It made her able to kill him with one touch. The people and things that were stronger, and enough so to kill without breaking a sweat, were always feared and resented.

On her end, her reason for being mean back was that she treated people the way she was treated. Until he showed her that he respected her and that she had worth, she would treat him the same way he was treating her. That was the only thing keeping her from always being nice and continuing to try to be his friend. Friendship outside of civilians and the three-men team was not something that happened often, at least in Kumogakure.

The fact that she had told him to quit his rhyming probably did not help matters. Even if Hachibi agreed with her. She supposed that was why he went out of his way to always rhyme when talking to her.

"Just stay outta the way and keep from ruining my day!"

Kagome rolled her eyes and sat down in her normal spot. It was far enough away that she would not get in the way of his training, but close enough that she could step in if he decided to push the limits a little too far. A had requested (though it would be more accurate to say "demanded") that Kirabi never transform into the full eight-tailed beast. He often broke that rule, but Kagome did not mind this at all and never told A what was going on.

For the most part, Kirabi and Hachibi worked together as partners. While they did not always see eye-to-eye, they were on the same page. So Hachibi hardly ever got out of hand and tried to force its influence, nor did it attempt to destroy everything in sight when Kirabi would allow him full control. It was why Kagome had never bothered to tell on him. It had only happened once over the past two years, and it had been because of her presence. The very first time she had watched Kirabi train, it had ended with him using up his chakra in anger, thus allowing Hachibi to rise to the surface and kill the threat.

Which had been _her_.

Needless to say, the attack did not work. She had been able to suppress Hachibi before anything drastic could happen. Ever since then, though, she had been a constant fixture in his training sessions.

And after two years, his training sessions were decidedly boring. She knew all his moves and attacks. She had watched him practice the same sets of kata for twenty-three months, and she had seen all the ninjutsu he would use in her presence. The only thing she never saw him do was genjutsu and when she asked, she never got an answer. Though, to be honest, she was not expecting one either.

Instead she let her mind wander to her family and friends. It seemed whenever the anniversary of her appearing in this world or time came around, she found herself feeling lonelier and lost in memories. With each passing day, it seemed as if she remembered less and less about her loved ones.

After so many months, she found it hard to remember exactly how they looked, and she could not even recall the sound of their voices. All she had were a few things to remember them by: her mother's smile, the scent of her Jii-chan, her brother's laughter, the molten gold of Inuyasha's eyes, the color of Sango's yukuta, Miroku's soothing presence, the innocence in Shippou's face.

That was all she had left. And even those things were fading fast from her memory. It caused her sadness to deepen that much more.

Kirabi watched her and felt the immense waves of sadness flowing off her. It was the first time he had ever noticed her being sad, as she was either happy or angry. He never saw her at peace or feeling anything other than those two emotions, and it was strange to him. The woman he thought incapable of being brought down was now sad.

It made him wonder just what could take away her cheeriness. And wonder just what she could have to be sad about. In his eyes, she had everything: a nice place to live, respect of the civilians, loved by the children, the attention of his older brother; and she did not have to work a day in her life for it.

'You seem to forget that she's just as much a prisoner as you,' Hachibi said. Unlike his host, he did not entirely hate the woman in front of him. He only hated the fact that she could kill him with just a touch.

'Who the hell asked you?'

Kirabi could tell his tailed beast rolled its eyes. 'Before you start thinking about how fucking bad you have it, try to remember that everyone has their own issues. She's been stuck in this village for almost two years. Have you ever seen her visit with family? Have you ever heard her talk of her home? Hell, for all we know she could be unable to see her family or leave because of your brother.'

That had never occurred to him. When one was a Jinchuuriki, it was hard to notice the pain and suffering of others as it paled in comparison to the pain they had suffered. Perhaps she was not as horrible as he first thought.

She smiled softly when she noticed him looking at her. Kagome stood up and walked over to him. "Done all ready?"

He nodded before leaving. With his new thoughts about the weak woman stuck watching over him, he did not trust anything that would come out of his mouth. Who knew what Hachibi would cause him to say?

* * *

The first thing that filled his ears was the sound of soft humming. It started out as nothing more than a muffled whisper that taunted him with its melody in the darkness. The desire to hear it and see who was singing it had him struggling out of the inky waves that surrounded him to follow it. The beginning was slow going as his body felt as if he had not moved it in years. Then he remembered.

He pushed himself to the limit in order to die in front of his brother. It was his last gift to his little brother, and all he had given him was his way of apologizing. The awakening of the mangekyou sharingan and the passing on of all the techniques he learned for it was all he could give Sasuke in return for how much he had taken from him.

So was this the land of the dead, and was the haunting melody leading him into his afterlife?

He decided that it could not be the land of the dead. As he followed the melody, the louder it got and the more pain he felt. Instead of the bliss and loss of emotion he knew _had_ to come with death, he could feel every movement his body made, the chakra that was trying to replenish itself, and the darkness that only seemed to lighten. No longer was it an all-encompassing darkness, but a much lighter one he knew to be of the living world. After all, only life had need of light.

As he came more into his awareness, he felt a cold rag brush against his skin. First his face, then down to his neck. A soft hand supported his back and he could feel the warmth from another body nearby. Using what strength he could muster, he grabbed the hand washing his face.

The small wrist that his hand easily encircled caused him to have second thoughts about the sex of his caretaker. The knowledge that he was being taken care of by a female cemented itself in his mind when he heard her soft, feminine gasp. Then again, it would not be the first time he had come across a man who had all the makings of a woman.

"So, you've decided to wake up," the woman said softly before easily removing her hand from his grip. "Don't worry, all I'm doing is cleaning you up since you were covered in sweat and dirt. I figured you'd like to be somewhat clean whenever you decided to wake up."

His hand fell; he no longer had the strength to keep it up. If this was the price of nearly dying, he wished he had been allowed to. Death was something he had longed for for years. After living for nearly seven years with the guilt of all he had done in the name of loyalty and altruism, he wanted the freedom of death. Yet he could not help but feel relieved that he lived. In life, he could do more to redeem himself.

However, he had only two questions. It was hard trying to find the strength to open his mouth and force words out. "How? ...Why?" At hearing his raspy voice, he winced.

His ears worked just fine and he could hear her smile. "How is probably better saved for another day. But I will tell you, you're completely fine. Except for your eyes, but I have a feeling you know that. As for why... Why not? You were injured, so of course I'm going to help."

He did know about his eyes. That was one thing he expected to go his entire life without if he did manage to live. The abilities of his eyes were the one thing he could give to his little brother that would ensure he survived and did what he could not do for the world of ninja. For what he did to his little brother, his eyesight was a small price to pay.

Those thoughts were washed away as a bucket full of lukewarm water was dumped over his head. Anything he was going to try to say in response to that was cut off as her hands ran through his hair. It had been years since he last had his hair washed by someone else, and he missed the feeling of dainty fingers running through his hair and lightly scratching his scalp.

"Oh, and don't worry. No one knows you're here. I don't know why, but you seem as if there'd be quite a few people after you if they found out where you were."

The relaxation he had been feeling was quickly destroyed at hearing that. If anyone did find out just who he was and that he was still alive, there would be trouble. He could already tell that the second Zetsu noticed him missing, Akatsuki would be looking for him. Not to mention he would most likely be killed by any ninja that recognized him just so they could say they killed Uchiha Itachi. And she would be in danger, too. Leave it to altruism to cause so many troubles.

Yet altruism was what caused the entire situation years ago.

Another bucket of water was dumped over his head, and he allowed those thoughts to be washed away too. There would be time when he had more strength to worry over the repercussions of what happened. His eyes closed as she hummed the haunting melody that brought him out of the darkness.


	4. Shadows the Hopes of Progress

_**Altruistic Tenacity**_

**_...Shadows the Hopes of Progress._**_**  
**_

* * *

Another day was close to coming to a close, and the sun never looked so beautiful setting on Kumogakure. Even though they had suffered the loss of one of their Jinchuuriki, one of their specialized kunoichi, to the Akatsuki, they still had one left. According to recent intelligence, that was still more than most other lands. The only one who still had a Jinchuuriki was Hi no Kuni and they kept all information involving the Nine-tails under wraps. In fact, all of the lands who had one kept their information on them top-secret, accessible only to the current Kage. Yet the Akatsuki was still managing to pick them out and kidnap them, leaving only the hosts' dead bodies to be recovered later.

The Raikage had no idea what was going on, but he was sure the Godaime Hokage was doing all in her power to find out what was happening. Some of the only information he had on their Jinchuuriki was that he was highly guarded and adored by both the Sandaime and the Godaime, meaning they would do all in their power to keep him alive and in their hands. Perhaps, just this once, he would put aside all feelings of animosity and such towards Konohagakure to rest and meet with their Senjuu Tsunade. The Akatsuki were becoming just too troublesome to be ignored these days.

And after all, the enemy of one's enemy is one's friend. For a while, at least.

"Raikage," one of his advisors spoke up, waiting for permission to continue speaking, "Team Samui is here to report on their mission."

He nodded, and his advisors left to let in one of Kumo's most trusted teams. From assassinations to recon, they did it all flawlessly and with unwavering loyalty. A hidden village could ask for no more. Had he been a lesser man, he would have sighed and showed all fifty of his years at thinking about the mission he asked of them. That little slip of a woman they found within Kaminari no Kuni was proving to be full of more trouble and secrets than he first thought. And she seemed so innocent and delicate, which is why he never suspected her lies and inner strength. It was just a good thing she was so horrible at lying.

"Raikage," the smooth voice of Samui had him turning around to address her and her team.

Like other ninja, they wore the standard black cloth clothing and sandles, protective vests, and their weapons of choice. Samui, a buxom blonde, kept only a tanto on her person, while her teammates kept long swords. Omoi, the only male of the team, kept a katana strapped to his back; while Karui, the very slender and boyishly built woman, used a broadsword. As usual Omoi, with his lack of respect towards authority, kept a sucker in his mouth.

"Your report?"

"As requested, we shadowed Higurashi Kagome without her knowledge," Samui said as she stood from her kneeling position to rub her shoulders. "Using Omoi's plan, one of us kept watch over her residence while the other two tailed her whenever she went out. In the morning, she went to watch over Killer Bee's training as is her job. On her way back, she picked up unusual supplies for one of her status."

Raikage cracked his knuckles, having a bad feeling as to where this was going. "What'd she buy?"

Karui stepped forward. "I watched her buy two pairs of nondescript clothing for a male, along with more food than usual for a single woman, and extra bathing supplies."

The muscles of the Raikage's jaw visibly tightened, but Samui took over the report briefing again. "We followed her back to her residence, where Omoi reported that there had been no activity. However, as we watched, she pulled an unconscious man out of her main room and into what we believed to be her bathing room. Karui and myself where unable to get a good look at him, other than the fact that he was built like a ninja, but Omoi..."

"What!? What the hell did you find out Omoi!" The news was getting too hard for the Raikage to hear. Not only had Kagome, _his_ Kagome, lied to him about what took her so long on return trip from Hi no Kuni, but she was keeping an unconscious man in her house! And not just any unconscious man, but a ninja! Until this moment, he never believed she could piss him off so much.

The heavily-tanned male, rolled his sucker around in his mouth. "My position allowed me to get a good look at the man she's taking care of. He looked to be in his early twenties, very pale skin - natural - with black hair. He wore very basic grey clothes, and as she moved him, his eyes opened. He had black eyes. There's only one clan-..."

"Uchiha! That little-...!" Without thinking, Raikage slammed his fist against the table as he stood up. He didn't even register the sound of splintering wood as he took off a good chunk of wood. "How positive are you that she has an Uchiha in her care?"

"One-hundred percent. There's no doubt in my mind that she is with Uchiha Itachi."

He tried his hardest to keep his cool, but the information he was being told did nothing to ease his anger. "Bring her here immediately! One of you stay there to keep an eye on that bastard. Make sure he stays alive for now."

With their new mission, Team Samui left his office. As soon as they were gone, he flipped his desk over into a wall. It seemed he had a little miko to teach a lesson to about lying and harboring wanted criminals.

* * *

"Zetsu," Pein said in a calm voice, full of authority. "Have you disposed of Uchiha Itachi's body as ordered?"

Had Zetsu been more human, he would have sighed. "There was a complication..."

The look in Pein's eyes was anything but pleased. "What kind of complication could arise from a dead man?"

"The kind where they're able to walk away." Black Zetsu laughed.

"Uchiha Itachi is still alive?" From the way Tobi and Pein looked at Zetsu, they were not happy at knowing that. The misguided, peace-loving Uchiha was supposed to be dead, if not by Sasuke's hands, then by the hand of his disease. If he still lived, it ruined all their plans. He was the only person who could sway Sasuke's mind easily, he could stand toe-to-toe with Madara, he could give so much information to any hidden village he so desired that could bring them down. This just would not do.

Tobi leaned forward. "What do you mean he was able to walk away."

If White Zetsu had been able to, he would have glared at his other half. "We mean that it appears someone stumbled across the battlefield and dragged away his body. We found one set of small footprints leading to Kumogakure."

"Yes, but it's no secret that Kumo is obsessed with Eye doujutsu," Pain interjected.

Tobi shook his head, "They only want the Byakugan, having no desire for the Sharingan. That means, someone must have found him when he was still clinging to life. He's probably dead by now."

Pein's eyes narrowed. "Given what he managed to accomplish over a few short years, I would not be surprised if he was still alive. Zetsu, take Kisame and hunt him and whoever saved him down. If he is alive and at full strength, bring him here. If otherwise, kill him. One alive Uchiha is enough."

"And what of the person who saved him?"

The leader shrugged. "Kill them. The world doesn't need people like that in it."

* * *

She was humming again, that same haunting melody that pulled him back into the world of the living. Itachi was sure if he said something to her along those lines, she would brush it off by saying she couldn't save the living from death. Even though she had. As he was now more alert, he could actually make out the tune of what she was humming. It was something familiar yet completely new. If he had heard it before her, he couldn't remember.

"What's that song?" he asked, his voice still holding a hint of raspiness to it.

She started, stopping her combing of his hair, not expecting her usually silent ward to speak. And she was also nothing more than a bundle of nerves after her meeting with the Raikage. He was a man she could never encounter again and be happy about it. Itachi's senses picked up on her changed demeanor, but said nothing. His were questions for a later date when they knew and trusted each other more than the current doctor-patient relationship allowed. He did owe her a lot, after all.

"It's a song from my home country... Really, just nonsense," she said, giving a tittering laugh that caught Itachi's attention. Once more, he found himself wanting to have the use of his eyes again. One never realized how much they relied on the information from the eyes until they were gone.

"You're not a native of Kumogakure?" he asked.

His caretaker shook her head, a motion he could only hear. "No, I'm from To-... A land that no longer exists."

"It's been years since a country was last destroyed." Itachi was not about to let her little slip-up pass. It seemed she knew so much about him, yet he knew far too little about her. This was his chance to pry, and she was stupid if she thought he was going to let it drop without a question. "I've never heard of a land that starts with 'To'."

He heard her sigh heavily, but it was different from the normal heavy sighs of people. This one carried more sadness and far too much time to be normal. "Because it's most likely been a very long time since it last existed..."

There was a long pause as they both tried to sort through their own thoughts. Itachi was processing the little information that she let slip. While he may be rather useless in the physical and vision department at the moment, his mind still worked perfectly fine, and he was still a ninja, no matter how useless. And from what she said, he had either miscalculated how old her voice led him to believe or she had misunderstood his question and thought he was asking about her clan. For some reason, neither seemed to be the case, but they had to be. What else could it be?

He narrowed his eyes, even though such a thing was useless. "How old are you?"

Her surprise was easy to pick up on, but it was quickly replaced by one of her smiles. Her slender fingers began to comb through his hair again before she spoke, "That's not a very nice question to ask of a woman... But I'm almost twenty-one. You?"

His confusion grew as she shot down one of his theories, leaving only the latter one. Yet, she seemed too intelligent to have misinterpreted his question. "The same. Your clan moved to Kumo?"

She laughed the same tittering laugh from earlier, he supposed it was her uncomfortable laugh. "You sure are inquisitive tonight!"

He shrugged lightly, not having the strength to do much more with his body yet. "This is a world full of strife, forgive me for wanting to know more about my savior who seems too altruistic to be true."

The woman sighed and wrapped her arms around him. "I'm sorry. You're right, you have every right to want to know more about me. Especially since you are a shinobi without the use of your eyes in a place you don't know..."

"Shinobi? That's a very archaic term for one of my status."

She bit down on her lip, knowing she had slipped up. At least his ears worked fine, in fact overcompensation for his lack of eyesight seemed to have already set in. Whether it was from embarrassment or because she knew she had slipped up, he didn't know yet. "Ahh... It... It's just a habit I can't seem to break... I always thought shinobi sounded so much cooler than ninja!"

That caused his lips to quirk up into some sort of small smile. Hearing the embarrassment in her voice over her admission had him thinking about his brother. It was something Sasuke would have said when he was still an innocent little boy. She seemed to sense the sadness that wrapped around him because she tightened her arms around him before letting him go. It caught him off-guard for a second before he heard her settle down in front of him.

"You know, I've been thinking. Here I am, able to see you and trying so hard to get you to trust me when I haven't even asked if you want to see me."

"What do you mean?"

Itachi could hear her smile as she grabbed his hands. "Where I come from, we discovered that those who are blind can see with their hands. Would you like to try?"

The hope in her voice was almost overwhelming. How someone could be so innocent, so hopeful, so full of good intentions at her age in these times was beyond him. After all he had done, and the new chance at living the life he always wanted she had given him, he couldn't refuse. His approval must have shown on him somewhere, because she placed his hands towards the top of her head before letting go. Not only was it a sign for him to explore, but to a ninja it was a sign of trust. She was trusting him to not do anything improper or kill her. Probably because she was too innocent to believe he could.

He could feel the softness and volume of her hair, making him wonder just what color it was. Was it black or brown? Perhaps something more exotic? He trailed his hands down and felt the smoothness of her forehead, the sides of her face. There were no signs of stress or life that would mar a much older woman's brow, but there were laugh lines at the edges of her large eyes. Soft, arched eyebrows and high cheekbones that led to soft lips. A small chin completed the mental picture of his caretaker's face and he found himself believing her when she said she was twenty. There was no way she could be older than that since genjutsu didn't work on the blind.

Her lips twitched up in a smile underneath his fingertips, giving him the perfect image of her smiling. "You can keep on feeling your sight, you know. It's only fair to you."

Itachi wondered if she knew exactly what she was saying, but given her innocent demeanor, he didn't think so. However, he was not about to pass up this opportunity to get an idea as to who she was and what she looked like. He slid his hands down her neck, not at all surprised at how slender and delicate it was. If he had his strength back, it would have been so easy to break it. As he trailed his hands across the rest of her body, he found himself focusing on just how slender she was. He wondered how a woman as tiny as her was able to get him to Kumogakure from Hi no Kuni.

The last part of her that he touched were her hands. He saved them for last because they would be the ultimate answer to a question that had been bothering him since he first woke-up. If she was a kunoichi, then her hands would be rough and calloused from years of training and weapon use. If she was a civilian, they would still be rough though not calloused in the same way, from work and everyday life. Yet her hands surprised him. They were completely soft without a single hint of rough skin from old blisters. They were delicate and feminine, as if they hadn't seen work in years.

He glanced up to where he thought her face to be. "You are a civilian?"

She slid her hands out from his weak grip. "Not technically, just as I'm no shinobi. Truthfully, I don't really know what my status is in this village, just that I'm someone important to the Raikage and his power..."

The way she said those words with such sadness had him wondering more about the strange woman who saved him. He wished again that he had the use of his eyes, so he could fill in more of missing pieces of her puzzle. Before he could think more on it, she pushed him back down on the bed. "You should get some rest, you'll recover faster that way... Before I go, is there anything else you need?"

Just my eyesight back, he thought, but kept that to himself. She took his silence as his answer and started to walk away. Before she could get very far, he caught her hand. "There is one thing... What is your name?"

"Ah... I'm sorry! All this time, and I never told you my name! Gah, I feel so intelligent! My name's Kagome... Higurashi Kagome... And you are?"

He debated telling her his name for a little bit, but he answered, "Itachi."

* * *

_Sorry about the long wait for a new chapter. But...life happens. Work happens. Death happens. And sometimes it takes a while to find one's way back to hobbies and the things they used to love to do._

_As always, please don't be afraid to let me know what you thought of this chapter. Whether you loved it or hated it, I always appreciate hearing it._


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